Chapter 73 – The Mysterious Letter

The Empire’s crackdown on the space pirates only worked for a short while in the beginning. Very soon, the pirates began shifting their tactics as if someone were guiding them. Their ever-changing offense and defense strategies made them elusive, impossible to pin down. These rabble managed to sneak up on Imperial troops time and again, hitting and retreating with minimal losses—humiliating the Empire while escaping relatively unscathed.

At present, due to the Empire’s decline and the sudden rise of the “Stellar” organization, the interstellar powers have fractured into five factions.

First is the Insectoid race, which lost its Queen a few years back and is now lying dormant. Even in the midst of this raging war, they’ve shown no movement—likely conserving energy, waiting to nurture their next Queen.

Second is the Federation, which had long been preparing for this war and has finally launched it. They’ve been running intense war propaganda for years, creating a nation filled with fanatics willing to sacrifice everything for the Federation’s glory and interests. This war should have been most beneficial to them. However, because of Xi Ming’s unexpected interference, the Federation burned through massive resources, only to find the pie much smaller than anticipated.

Next is the Empire. For hundreds of years, it basked in the glory of its past, believing it still reigned supreme in the galaxy—undefeated and unrivaled. Unfortunately, due to the arrogance of its ruling class, countless talented individuals were suppressed, framed, or assassinated. Only those with the right connections could rise to power. As a result, the Empire’s overall capability has steadily declined, making it one of the main victims of this war.

The fourth faction is the space pirates, who have always existed. Aside from a few old pirate groups, most others were forcibly absorbed by Xi Ming, forming a force that could rival the Empire—now known as “Stellar.” With Huo Mengming continuously siphoning resources from the Empire to supply the pirates with weapons, radiation healers attracting neglected geniuses from across the galaxy, and the massive wealth generated by monthly auctions of ten radiation therapy slots—Stellar’s power has been growing by the day. Xi Ming’s next move is to wrest most of the Empire’s remaining benefits from the Federation and then turn his sights on the Federation itself.

Lastly, there are the small nations that have long resisted being absorbed by the galaxy’s two great powers. These nations formed a Small Nations Independence Alliance to survive in the cracks between the giants, helping each other maintain sovereignty. This war doesn’t directly involve them, but once a war breaks out, no one can remain untouched. Lately, these small nations have been struggling, living in constant fear that the flames of war will reach them.

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Inside Stellar

“Boss, Wu Lidu brought his fleet! That coward finally dares to face us. Watch me beat him until he pisses himself,” said a pirate reporting the intel to Xi Ming. Since most of his subordinates were pirates who had lived freely for years, Xi Ming hadn’t imposed too many rules on them.

“Which pirate crew is responsible for that sector?” Xi Ming asked. Although he had subdued most pirate groups by force, he clearly didn’t have the energy to manage each one personally. Most crews still kept their original names, with little personnel change.

As long as they completed the tasks he assigned, Xi Ming didn’t care how they fought for power amongst themselves.

The pirate named a few crews, but Xi Ming wasn’t familiar with them. Still, that didn’t stop him from issuing orders. “Reassign them elsewhere. I’ll deal with Wu Lidu myself.”

“Boss, you’re going in person? Are we bringing out our legendary squad?” someone asked excitedly. Everyone in Stellar knew about their legendary radiation mech unit.

The “legendary” title referred to their identity as radiation survivors. Just staying alive was already a miracle. To survive long enough to be healed by a radiation therapist and even return to mech training—regardless of strength—made them true legends of the galaxy.

Xi Ming nodded. The squad had been training for a long time; it was time to show them off.

“Awesome! That coward’s perfect for practice, hahaha…” the man laughed loudly.

Calling Wu Lidu a coward wasn’t really slander. The Empire had been heavily promoting him, portraying him as some invincible war god. Every victory of his was splashed across the star net for days, and even pirates on the edge of civilization had heard of his name.

Initially, they thought he might be another “Imperial Star.” A few fearless pirates ambushed him after a victory—but Wu Lidu panicked. Despite having gear far superior to the pirates, he was utterly routed, scrambling to retreat until reinforcements arrived to stabilize the situation.

The Empire covered up the incident, but among the pirates, it was common knowledge. Every time the Empire came up, they dragged Wu Lidu out for a good round of mocking.

Had Wu Lidu returned to seek revenge afterward, the pirates might have respected him. But he never dared to fight them again. Since then, “coward” had stuck to him like a badge.

Now, hearing that Wu Lidu had shown up at the front lines where Stellar and the Empire were clashing, the pirates weren’t worried about how advanced his gear was or how powerful he might be. Their first reaction was: “The Empire’s out of people, huh? Even that coward’s been sent in.”

“Don’t let your guard down—his fleet is equipped with the Empire’s most advanced weaponry.” Beside Xi Ming stood Luo Liang—once Wu Lidu’s deputy, now his sworn enemy. Luo Liang had been watching Wu Lidu’s every move like a hawk.

“Using the Empire’s best weapons to fight the sluggish Zerg? That just makes Wu Lidu seem even more useless. If that’s the heir to the Empire, then the Empire is truly doomed.” After that comment, the room erupted in laughter.

The phrase “sluggish Zerg” wasn’t an exaggeration. The Zerg were indeed sluggish and easy to handle at the moment. Yet, the Empire managed to portray Wu Lidu as a heroic warrior battling the Zerg, subtly casting a shadow over Xi Ming’s achievements and winning the favor of many civilians.

Upon learning that the mech squad would be deployed the next day, Shi Chan asked Xi Ming, “Should Yi Fei go too?”

Yi Fei was the only Omega in the squad. Originally, he wasn’t even on Xi Ming’s recruitment radar—he was granted treatment mainly to generate publicity. But once Yi Fei heard about the formation of this special team of radiation survivors, he clung to Shi Chan like a shadow, insisting on joining.

Shi Chan, one of the rare Omegas who could pilot a mech, understood Yi Fei’s excitement. But sentiment alone wouldn’t lower the bar. This squad was assembled for real combat—to take lives. That was a whole different reality from the competitions Yi Fei had participated in before.

Yi Fei, however, was determined. Left with no choice, Shi Chan brought him to the training grounds. As expected, Yi Fei was thoroughly beaten at first—his techniques, suited for regulated matches, were no match in real fights. But unexpectedly, Yi Fei’s innate talent for mech piloting was extraordinary. He quickly adapted to the new pace and became noticeably stronger within days.

He had been training alongside the others ever since. His outstanding potential meant he was no less capable than former combat veterans. Still, whether he should be allowed on a real battlefield remained uncertain. Not only were his family opposed to it, but there was also the issue of pheromones between Omegas and Alphas during combat.

Xi Ming hadn’t filled his team solely with Betas—there were quite a few Alphas as well. And when emotions ran high, those Alphas inevitably released pheromones. An Omega caught in the middle could disrupt focus or become a liability—no matter who affected whom, it was detrimental to the team.

When Xi Ming led the military in the past, he had made it clear that no Omegas—regardless of their position, even clerical—were to be recruited until pheromone suppression was fully viable. Separation of Alphas and Omegas on the battlefield was the best course.

But after Xi Ming’s downfall, that rule was casually ignored. Take Shi Chan’s ex-fiancé, for instance—he had fallen for an Omega disguised as a Beta during a mission, and they ended up engaged, leading to his breakup with Shi Chan. Even after the Omega’s real gender was exposed, they stayed together.

…Oddly enough, Xi Ming had that scandal to thank.

In the end, Xi Ming stood firm: until complete pheromone suppression was possible, Omegas and Alphas would not fight side by side.

Yi Fei, left behind, was visibly disappointed, but he still followed the legendary squad with eager eyes, determined to witness their first mission firsthand.

Meanwhile, the Empire was also keeping a close watch on the battlefield, albeit for different reasons.

Even after reaching the frontlines, Wu Lidu wouldn’t stop complaining. “Damn it, why did they send me here? Isn’t General Xu stationed in this region? Let him deal with the pirates!”

Wu Lidu had neither the instinct nor the talent for battle. Yet, to secure his place in the hierarchy, he had allowed his mother to craft his image as the radiant “Battlefield Prince.” But he had no desire whatsoever to engage in actual combat.

He was still haunted by the memory of being humiliated by pirates during a previous mission. The last thing he wanted was another encounter with them. “Isn’t Xu already a general? Why are pirates still causing trouble? Back then, that someone was just a lieutenant general and already had the pirates terrified of the Empire!”

“Watch your words!” Gisa immediately cut him off. Even though they were among allies, that person was a taboo topic in upper circles—not to be mentioned.

And truthfully… that person’s tragic end had more than a little to do with the man standing in front of him. Gisa glanced at Wu Lidu, his eyes darkening. The fact that he could speak of him so casually—just like the Empress—was shameless.

Wu Lidu was already fed up with Gisa. Even though the man had been assigned by his mother, Wu Lidu couldn’t be bothered to listen to his lectures. He brushed him off and urged the others to give him a battle plan.

“Your Highness, fighting pirates is not the same as fighting Zerg. There’s no set plan—it all depends on how the situation unfolds. Pirates are humans, after all. They don’t act on instinct like the bugs.”

Wu Lidu dismissed the warning. “Then just give me a pre-battle plan before any ‘changes.’ If things change, you can tell me then.”

Left with no choice, the strategists cobbled together a “complete” plan for the coming battle—even though everyone knew it was just for show.

But just before the battle began, Wu Lidu received a mysterious letter. On the pure white paper, the inked words stood out clearly:

“The master of Steller is…”

His eyes trembled—

The letter slipped from his hands and floated to the ground.